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Friday, May 25, 2007

Storm of Debate over the Bible

According to an article entitled "Bible Under Fire in Hong Kong for Sexual, Violent Content" in the Christian Post, TELA (Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority), the media decency watchdog group has been flooded with at least 838 complaints against the Bible for its sexual and violent contents.

Protesters want the Bible reclassified as “indecent.” Local media say complaints refer to acts of violence, rape, incest and cannibalism. It would be illegal for minors under 18 years of age to purchase it the Bible would have to be wrapped with a statutory warning notice.

The complaints are thought to have sparked from an anonymous website, www.truthbible.net, which urged readers to press TELA to reclassify the Bible as an indecent publication. A column in the Chinese University's Student Press magazine may have sparked the debate when it was labeled as indecent by the Obscene Articles Tribunal because its survey asked readers if they ever fantasized about incest or bestiality.

The survey has sparked a storm of debate over social morality and freedom of speech in Hong Kong.